Just about to get me Thorens TD MK II back from the shop all spiffed up and ready to go. I was using a Shure M91 with a new N91ED on there but the original (obtained from original owner years ago) was a Grado MF3 that i added the Black Stylus to when replacing stylus. For $75 it seems like a no brainer to try this. The MF 3 has been in semi retirement but I always missed that Grado.

my first grado was an F1+ and it was a doozy. it would track ANYTHING and was exceedingly musical. all the imaging/soundstaging tricks were performed. since then i have had the 8MZ which was fantastic, and the FTE+, the forerunner to the black. another winner. i am currrently using one of those in my cheap and cheerful AKAI usb tt.

another drop-dead bargain is the Audio-Technica AT95e for less than $40 delivered by amazon. it sounds way better than it should for the money. and not bright either.

Would you be able to upgrade the stylus to 8mz? Whats the best bang for the buck set up when it comes to Grado?

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Many have said the 8MZ. I bought one when they were still $100 and was disappointed to discover that it was bonded and not nude. It sounds good, especially with jazz but it isn't nearly as good as I had hoped. I run it at 1.65 grams with no antiskate in a ZF2 body on a Jelco tonearm. Maybe something is wrong with my setup but it's carefully aligned. To me, the top end is rolled off pretty much like I've experienced with other Grado cartridges. It could be a system issue but my Denon DL-110 and Shure V15 Type IV JICO SAS don't have that issue.

Many have said the 8MZ. I bought one when they were still $100 and was disappointed to discover that it was bonded and not nude. It sounds good, especially with jazz but it isn't nearly as good as I had hoped. I run it at 1.65 grams with no antiskate in a ZF2 body on a Jelco tonearm. Maybe something is wrong with my setup but it's carefully aligned. To me, the top end is rolled off pretty much like I've experienced with other Grado cartridges. It could be a system issue but my Denon DL-110 and Shure V15 Type IV JICO SAS don't have that issue.

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Your comment on the system is quite profound. I really think judging cartridges and stylus is a tricky thing because we base our comments on what we hear in our systems, which is likely to be different than someone else’s.

I have the MCZ stylus and it is mounted on a Signature 8MX body. I like this set up a whole lot. The MCZ also sounds great on my GF1+ body. The Grado’s are my best combo optimized for play on my AR XB by Marc. By coincidence, the guy who designed my preamp stage listens to Grado. I should then not be surprised that the Grado’s beat my DL 301, DL 110, and AT 35E moving coils in this set up. I find the DL 110 and DL 301 to be brighter and a bit thinner sounding than the Grado. I believe I will have to move futher up the MC cost and performance chain to beat the Grado and that I will also need another table or arm to bring out the best of the MC.

Back to topic. I am looking forward to reviews on the new Grado 2 cartridge. Until then I’ll stick with the vintage Grado bodies that I have.

I've been considering mounting my ZF2/8MZ cartridge in my other AR XA with the stock arm. That table is my original XA that I bought in 1969. I've done general maintenance on it and have talked to Marc about having him refresh it to his specs. He and I only live 40 minutes apart. We just have never gotten together. My wife has some health issues and it's hard for me to get away at the moment. I still like the Grado with jazz but find it a bit lacking with certain recordings. I too await reviews of the Grado 2 line. I like the idea of buying American made products when possible. By the way, I specifically added the Cambridge phono preamp because of it's reputation of a somewhat peaked top end. My listening room is rather dead acoustically but since it's a shared space with my wife there's not a lot to be done about that.

I wonder if they've addressed the hum issues? I had a Black a few years back and was quite pleased with it, though it did seem to have some tracking issues from time to time. I had it on my PL550, PL-570 and finally on my brother's Sansui 2050C. It seemed happiest on the Sansui. I'd be up for trying one of these out.